DragemD Posted January 22, 2021 Report Share Posted January 22, 2021 Last week the battery light came on. I took it in and they figured it was the alternator. Fine I paid, they installed a new one, and on the way home the battery light came on, then it went off a minute later than the came back a few minutes later than the advance track glitched (beeped), then the ABS brake light came on, and when I turn off the car the Throttle Control/Powertrain warning light blinks and stays blinking. WTF!!! Of course, I took it back, and it's been in the shop for 4 days. I called and he said he tested at the alternator and it was putting out about 14v but at the battery, it sometimes drops to about 8v. They swapped the battery with a good one and the same issue. It happens completely at random, it might run fine for 10 minutes then goes out. As for as running goes it sounds fine but it's not charging enough when it glitches. I figured they got a bad alternator but again they have had it for 4 days and no updates. I can fix mechanical but electrical is out of my wheelhouse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WWWPerfA_ZN0W Posted January 22, 2021 Report Share Posted January 22, 2021 Very odd that they test the alternator and charger but not check the wiring and the terminals. If the voltage is confirmed 14.4+ at the alternator, then the problem has to be in excessive resistance somewhere in the circuit. This is basic diagnostics and they should be able to perform them. You can look up videos for yourself on YT. Plenty of reputable channels that put out helpful information. "Voltage Drop" is the search term I normally use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DragemD Posted January 22, 2021 Author Report Share Posted January 22, 2021 I think they did test for Voltage drop but is there anything else it might be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted January 22, 2021 Report Share Posted January 22, 2021 There have been many reports of replacement alternators being bad right out of the box, so that's a good possibility. The question is when it drops to 8V at the battery is it still 14.4V at the alternator or does it also drop to 8V? If it's 14.4V at the alternator but 8V at the battery then it's a wiring/connection issue. Also don't rule out a bad replacement battery - make sure they test the CCAs on it not just voltage. Also be aware the alternator may be variable output so it may not always put out 14.4V - could be less (controlled by the PCM). But I don't know if it goes as low as 8V and under normal operation it certainly wouldn't cause the check light. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WWWPerfA_ZN0W Posted January 22, 2021 Report Share Posted January 22, 2021 under 13.5V on a gen 1 is abnormal, per the manual. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DragemD Posted January 27, 2021 Author Report Share Posted January 27, 2021 Thanks, guys for the info. Just a follow-up, the mechanic checked the connections and couldn't find any issue and the warning lights stopped. I think they forgot to connect something correctly but didn't fess up to screwing up. Fingers crossed. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WWWPerfA_ZN0W Posted January 27, 2021 Report Share Posted January 27, 2021 best of luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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